Studio

The Studio program at UTSC offers hands-on courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, performance art, video, new media, animation, and conceptual practices. Students can also take specialized courses in digital imaging, sound art, or thematic courses that explore such things as the relationships between art and globalization, or art and politics, or time-based art practices. UTSC Studio students develop a combination of technical, theoretical, conceptual and critical skills that enable them to express and communicate their ideas confidently in a variety of visual languages. Students explore art as a tool for examining and intervening in visual culture, to consider the role of creativity in shaping communities locally and globally.

Our students are encouraged to engage with the diversity of contemporary art by examining art-making from aesthetic, intellectual, social, and political perspectives. They are exposed to current positions in contemporary art theory, criticism, and curation and study the history of art from various cultural and historical viewpoints. The wide range of artistic experiences offered by the UTSC Studio program provides a rigorous general visual arts education for students interested in careers in the cultural and design sectors. Studio also offers focused preparation for students interested in pursuing advanced visual art study at the graduate level.

The Studio program is connected to the department of Arts, Culture and Media, which offers students an interdisciplinary framework for analyzing the ideas and theories connecting the arts, and encourages students to explore the related fields of literature, history, anthropology, and other areas of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Guidelines for 1st year course selectionVPSA62H3 Foundation Studies in Studio, which covers basic media and concepts through practice and discussion, must be taken with its co-requisite VPSA63H3 But Why is it Art? before advancing to other studio courses.

Students will be expected to purchase the materials necessary for each course. An estimate of the costs is available from the instructor.

Studio Programs

Enrolment in the Specialist in Studio is limited. Students must apply to enter the program after completing four credits including VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3. Decisions are made on program admissions only twice a year, in May and August, and are based on student requests submitted to the registrar through ROSI. Admission is determined on the basis of a student's overall GPA and grades in VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3. For students applying after 8-10 credits, admission will be based on the overall GPA and grades in VPS courses taken.

This program requires the completion of 14.0 credits, including 4 full credits at the C-or D-level of which at least 1.0 credit must be at the D-level.

2. (0.5 credit) One of the following:VPSC66H3 Theory and Practice: Two Dimensional WorkVPSC68H3 Theory and Practice: Time-Based WorkVPSC69H3 Theory and Practice: Art in a Globalizing WorldVPSC70H3 Theory and Practice: New Media in Studio

3. (6.0 credits) 6.0 additional credits from VPS of which at least 1.5 credits should be at the C- level and 1.0 credit at the D level.

4. (3.0 credits)VPHA46H3 Ways of Seeing: Introduction to Art Histories 2.5 additional credits in art history of which 1 full credit should be at the C- level.

Enrolment in the Major in Studio is limited. Students must apply to enter the program after completing four credits including VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3. Decisions are made on program admissions only twice a year, in May and August, and are based on student requests submitted to the registrar through ROSI. Admission is determined on the basis of a students overall GPA and grades in VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3.

Program RequirementsStudents must complete eight full credits including:

Enrolment in the Minor in Studio is limited. Students must apply to enter the program after completing four credits including VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3. Decisions are made on program admissions only twice a year, in May and August, and are based on student requests submitted to the registrar through ROSI. Admission is determined on the basis of a student's overall GPA and grades in VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3.

Program Requirements: Students are required to complete a total of four full credits as follows: 1. VPSA62H3 Foundation Studies in Studio 2. VPSA63H3 But Why is it Art? 3. VPHA46H3 Ways of Seeing: Introduction to Art Histories 4. VPSA70H3 Drawing I 5. 1.0 credits at the B-level in VPS 6. 0.5 credits from the following:VPSC66H3 Theory and Practice: Two-Dimensional WorkVPSC68H3 Theory and Practice: Time-Based WorkVPSC69H3 Theory and Practice: Art in a Globalizing WorldVPSC70H3 Theory and Practice: New Media in Studio 7. An additional 0.5 credits at the C-level in VPS

This introductory seminar examines the key themes, concepts, and questions that affect the practice of contemporary art. We will look at specific cases in the development of art and culture since 1900 to understand why and how contemporary art can exist as such a wide-ranging set of forms, media and approaches.

This course introduces students to the use of three-dimensional materials and processes for creating sculptural objects. Traditional and non-traditional sculptural methodologies and concepts will be explored.

An introduction to the basic principles of video shooting and editing as well as an investigation into different conceptual strategies of video art. The course will also provide an introduction to the history of video art.

This hands-on, project-based class will investigate fundamental digital concepts common to photography, animation, and digital publishing practices. Students will learn general image processing, composing, colour management, chromakey, and typograpic tools for both on-line and print-based projects. These will be taught through Abobe Creative Suite software on Apple computers.

Sculpture and the Everyday introduces students to contemporary sculptural approaches that include the use of everyday found materials and sculptural interventions in public spaces. Students will learn new techniques for installing and presenting artworks inside and outside of the gallery. Previous experience in sculpture is not required for this course.

An introduction to fundamental photographic concepts including depth, focus, stopped time, lighting and photographic composition in contrast to similar fundamental concerns in drawing and painting. A practical and historical discourse on the primary conceptual streams in photography including various documentary traditions, staged photographs and aesthetic approaches from photographic modernism to postmodernism.

Artist multiples are small, limited edition artworks that include sculptures, artist books, mass-produced ephermera such as posters, postcards and small objects. Students will explore the production and history of 2D and 3D works using a variety of media and approaches. This course is about both making and concepts.

A course for students interested in designing and publishing artworks using digital tools. The emphasis will be on short-run printed catalogues, along with some exploration of e-books and blogs. Lessons will identify common editorial and image preparation concerns while introducing software for assembling images, videos, sounds, graphics, and texts into coherent and intelligently-designed digital publications. Creative solutions are expected.

This course is designed to offer students direct encounters with artists and curators through studio and gallery visits. Field encounters, written assignments, readings and research focus on contemporary art and curatorial practices. The course will provide skills in composing critical views, artist statements, and writing proposals for art projects.

Prerequisite:
[[VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3] and [0.5 credit at the A-level in Studio courses]] or [enrolment in the Minor in Curatorial Studies]Exclusion:
VIS320HEnrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

Video II builds on skills developed in Video I and explores advanced video techniques including chromakey, using grip and mounts, sound design for video and installation techniques involving projection and digital screens. Students will examine current issues in moving image and media through screenings and projects.

This course covers the history and practice of performance art. Students will employ contemporary performance strategies such as duration, ritual, repetition, intervention, tableau vivant, endurance and excess of materials in their projects. We will also study the relationship of performance to other art disciplines and practices such as theatre and sculpture.

An in-depth investigation of digital imaging technologies for serious studio artists and new media designers. Emphasis is placed on advanced image manipulation, seamless collage, invisible retouching and quality control techniques for fine art production. Project themes will be drawn from a critical analysis of contemporary painting and photo-based art.

This course will explore contemporary artistic practices that blur the boundary between art and activism.We will examine how artists address political issues and the techniques they use to reach different types of audiences. Students will do research and develop projects that address specific local issues and wider social concerns.

An elementary study of the typographic arts will inform presentation strategies, but the investigation of critical cultural discourse through language as visual art will form the most important content of this course. How do visual artists employ words in their art?

Students will be introduced to the principles and practicalities of working with the concept of change as it relates to three dimentional artwork. Students will use both traditional and non-traditional materials in combination with simple technologies, including motors, switches, LEDs, and introductory circuits.

Photography has a rich tradition both as an art form and as a documentary practice. Each of these has engendered its own technique, aesthetic and cultural context. This course is designed to introduce students to the documentary branch of photography through focused, personal, photo-journalistic projects accomplished outside of the studio.

Students will be introduced to sound as a medium for art making. Listening, recording, mapping, editing, and contextualizing sounds will be the focus of this course. Sound investigations will be explored within both contemporary art and experimental sound/music contexts.

A non-traditional course in the digital production of non-analog, two-dimensional animation through the use of computer-based drawing, painting, photography and collage. Students will learn design strategies, experimental story lines, sound mixing, and video transitions to add pace, rhythm, and movement to time based, digital art projects.

"Live!" investigates interdisciplinary modes of contemporary performance. Within a studio context, this course serves as an advanced exploration of 21st century Live Art. This interactive course reviews the dynamics of time, space and existence, and asks fundamental questions about the body and performance.

Prerequisite:
[VPHA46H3 and VPSB77H3] and [0.5 credit at the B-level in Studio or TAPS courses]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
(VPDC06H3), (VPSC57H3), (VPAC04H3)Enrolment Limits:
12Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

This course focuses on the finer details of curating and contemporary art. Students will delve into the work of selected artists and curators with an emphasis on the conceptual and philosophical underpinnings of their projects. Term work will lead to a professionally curated exhibition organized by students.

Prerequisite:
[VPHA46H3 and VPSB73H3]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Enrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

This course is designed to introduce students to documentary video approaches in video art. Students will gain insight into the history and development of the experimental documentary genre through screenings, readings, and field trips. The course will provide students with the opportunity to research, develop, and produce a short documentary project.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and VPSB76H3; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Enrolment Limits:
20Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

Students will produce art projects using mechanical principles to create sculptural forms that change over time. Students will be encouraged to use altered machines, simple electronic components and a wide range of materials.

Prerequisite:
[VPHA46H3 and VPSB86H3] and [0.5 credit at the B-level in VPS courses]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
(VPSB64H3)Enrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

An advanced course for students who are able to pursue individual projects in painting, with a focus on contemporary practice and theory.

Prerequisite:
[VPHA46H3 and VPSB62H3] and [0.5 credit at the B-level in VPS courses]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
VIS301H, FAS345YEnrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

An advanced course for students who are able to pursue individual projects dealing with the complex relationships between drawing and other art practices like installation, painting and mixed media.

Prerequisite:
[VPHA46H3 and VPSB74H3]; and [0.5 credit at the B-level in VPS courses]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
VIS305H, VIS308H, FAS343YEnrolment Limits:
20Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

A supervised course focused specifically on the development of the student's work from initial concept through to the final presentation. Students may work in their choice of media with the prior written permission of the instructor.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and [3.0 credits in VPS courses including at least 1.0 credit at the B-level]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
VIS311H, VIS326Enrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

Focusing on both theory and practice, this is a portfolio-based course aimed at the development of idiosyncratic photographic styles and subject matter. Printing and presentation will form an important part of this portfolio's development. Students will research international networks, publications and institutions devoted to photographic discourse.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and VPSB80H3 and VPSB75H3; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
VIS318H, FAS347YEnrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

An exploration of ideas and practice with an emphasis on three-dimensional work.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and [1.0 credit at the B-level in Studio courses dealing with three dimensions]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Corequisite:
VPSC75H3, VIS306HEnrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

An exploration of ideas and practice with an emphasis on two-dimensional work, including digital imaging.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and [1.0 credit at the B-level in VPS courses dealing with two dimensions]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
VIS211HEnrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

An exploration of ideas and practice with an emphasis on time-based media: performance, video, audio, time-based sculpture and installation.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and [1.0 credit at the B-level in VPS courses dealing with time-based media]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
VIS303H, FAS349HEnrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

This course will focus on the influence of global visual culture on contemporary art practices; exploring how artists respond to orientalism, colonial histories, migration, media, tourism, and the international art world. The culturally diverse backgrounds of students and their understanding of global media will be starting points for studio projects.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and [1.0 credit at the B-level in Studio courses]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
VIS325HEnrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: History, Philosophy & Cultural Studies

Information technologies are radically and rapidly transforming our culture. Networking, robotics, GPS, ubiquitous computing, data mining, rfid, biotech, surveillance, sound installation, digital image processing and interactive display are all offering new opportunities for the artist as well as new critical issues to address. Students will create affordable projects that address these issues.

This course investigates the relationship of the body to the camera. Using both still and video cameras and live performance students will create works that unite the performative and the mediated image. The course will cover how the body is framed and represented in contemporary art, advertising and the media.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and [1.0 credit at the B-level in Studio courses]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Recommended Preparation:
VPSB77H3 or VPSB67H3 or VPSB76H3Enrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

Interdisciplinary Drawing Concepts will extend drawing into a range of other media, allowing students to explore the sculptural, temporal and performative potential of mark-making.

Prerequisite:
[VPHA46H3 and VPSB74H3] and [0.5 credit at the B-level in Studio courses]; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Exclusion:
VIS308H3Enrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

Advanced Sculpture will provide students with an opportunity for a deeper investigation into various materials and fabrication techniques. This course will focus on the theory and practice of object making through studio assignments that develop a critical and technical literacy towards both traditional and non-traditional sculpture materials.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and [VPSB63H3 or VPSB73H3 or VPSB86H3]; and an additional 0.5 credit at the B-level in Studio; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Enrolment Limits:
15Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

A project based course, building upon concepts developed in VPSB89H3 Introduction to Digital Animation. Students will refine their control of sound, movement, and image quality. This course will also introduce three-dimensional wire frame and ray-tracing techniques for constructing convincing 3-D animated objects and scenes as they apply to contemporary artistic practices.

Prerequisite:
VPHA46H3 and VPSB89H3; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio must also complete ACMB01H3Enrolment Limits:
20Breadth Requirement: Arts, Literature & Language

An advanced course for students ready to work independently on their own projects. Students will be expected to work on their projects from conception to a final exhibition in the student-run gallery. Students may work in their choice of media with the written permission of the instructor.

Students who have developed strong portfolios in painting, drawing or printmaking and intend to pursue professional exhibition careers will continue their investigations into two-dimensional expression and develop professional quality projects with thorough promotional strategies.

This option is available in rare and exceptional circumstances to students who have demonstrated a high level of academic maturity and competence. Qualified students will have the opportunity to investigate an area of contemporary art that is of common interest to both student and supervisor.

Prerequisite:
At least 15.0 credits & completion of the major in studio & written permission of the instructor in the previous session.Exclusion:
VIS401H, VIS402H, VIS403H, VIS404H

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We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.